diff --git a/scripts/verify-campaign-save-normalization.mjs b/scripts/verify-campaign-save-normalization.mjs
index 144b21f..fd693ff 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-campaign-save-normalization.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-campaign-save-normalization.mjs
@@ -102,6 +102,21 @@ try {
     `Expected malformed inventory and sortie assignments to normalize: ${JSON.stringify(malformed)}`
   );
 
+  storage.clear();
+  storage.set(
+    campaignStorageKey,
+    JSON.stringify({
+      version: 1,
+      updatedAt: '2026-07-03T00:00:00.000Z',
+      step: 'lost-between-battles',
+      activeSaveSlot: 1,
+      gold: 90
+    })
+  );
+  const invalidStep = loadCampaignState();
+  assert(invalidStep.step === 'new', `Expected unknown campaign step to reset safely: ${JSON.stringify(invalidStep)}`);
+  assert(invalidStep.gold === 90, `Expected unknown-step save to keep harmless economy data: ${JSON.stringify(invalidStep)}`);
+
   storage.clear();
   storage.set(campaignStorageKey, JSON.stringify({ version: 99, step: 'sixty-sixth-camp' }));
   const unsupported = loadCampaignState();
@@ -122,7 +137,7 @@ try {
   const fallback = loadCampaignState();
   assert(fallback.step === 'second-camp' && fallback.activeSaveSlot === 2, `Expected valid slotted save fallback: ${JSON.stringify(fallback)}`);
 
-  console.log('Verified campaign save normalization, malformed-field recovery, unsupported-version rejection, and slotted fallback.');
+  console.log('Verified campaign save normalization, malformed-field recovery, unknown-step recovery, unsupported-version rejection, and slotted fallback.');
 } finally {
   await server.close();
 }
diff --git a/src/game/state/campaignState.ts b/src/game/state/campaignState.ts
index a07d7c2..295be36 100644
--- a/src/game/state/campaignState.ts
+++ b/src/game/state/campaignState.ts
@@ -388,6 +388,18 @@ const campaignBattleSteps: Record<string, { victory: CampaignStep; retry: Campai
   'sixty-sixth-battle-wuzhang-final': { victory: 'sixty-sixth-camp', retry: 'sixty-sixth-battle' }
 };
 
+const campaignStepIds = new Set<CampaignStep>([
+  'new',
+  'prologue',
+  'first-victory-story',
+  'ending-complete',
+  'hanzhong-king-camp',
+  'shu-han-foundation-camp',
+  'baidi-entrustment-camp',
+  'northern-campaign-prep-camp',
+  ...Object.values(campaignBattleSteps).flatMap(({ victory, retry }) => [victory, retry])
+]);
+
 export type CampaignSaveSlotSummary = {
   slot: number;
   exists: boolean;
@@ -787,6 +799,7 @@ function normalizeCampaignState(state: Partial<CampaignState>): CampaignState {
   };
   normalized.version = 1;
   normalized.updatedAt = typeof normalized.updatedAt === 'string' && normalized.updatedAt ? normalized.updatedAt : new Date().toISOString();
+  normalized.step = normalizeCampaignStep(normalized.step);
   normalized.activeSaveSlot = normalizeSlot(normalized.activeSaveSlot);
   normalized.gold = normalizeNonNegativeInteger(normalized.gold);
   normalized.roster = arrayOrEmpty<UnitData>(normalized.roster).map(cloneUnit);
@@ -861,6 +874,10 @@ function normalizeReserveTrainingFocusId(focusId?: string): CampaignReserveTrain
     : defaultCampaignReserveTrainingFocusId;
 }
 
+function normalizeCampaignStep(step: unknown): CampaignStep {
+  return typeof step === 'string' && campaignStepIds.has(step as CampaignStep) ? step as CampaignStep : 'new';
+}
+
 function reserveTrainingFocusDefinition(focusId?: string) {
   const normalizedId = normalizeReserveTrainingFocusId(focusId);
   return campaignReserveTrainingFocusDefinitions.find((focus) => focus.id === normalizedId) ?? campaignReserveTrainingFocusDefinitions[0];